Misappropriating public funds and returning part of it will still result in a sentence. If the perpetrator has partially or completely returned the principal and interest before the crime, he may be given a lighter or mitigated punishment. Article 384 of the Criminal Law Any state functionary who, by taking advantage of his position, misappropriates public funds for personal use and engages in illegal activities, or misappropriates a large amount of public funds for profit-making activities, or misappropriates a large amount of public funds and fails to pay it back for more than three months, is guilty of embezzlement and shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not more than five years or criminal detention; If the circumstances are serious, he shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not less than five years. Whoever misappropriates a huge amount of public funds and does not return it shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not less than 1 years or life imprisonment. Whoever misappropriates funds and materials for disaster relief, emergency rescue, flood control, special care, poverty alleviation, immigration and relief for personal use shall be given a heavier punishment. Legal objectivity:

Article 185-1 of the Criminal Law of the People's Republic of China. Commercial banks, stock exchanges, futures exchanges, securities companies, futures brokerage companies, insurance companies or other financial institutions, in violation of their fiduciary obligations, use clients' funds or other entrusted or trusted properties without authorization. If the circumstances are serious, they shall be fined, and the directly responsible personnel and other directly responsible personnel shall be punished. Article 384 of the Criminal Law of the People's Republic of China * * * Any state functionary who, by taking advantage of his position, misappropriates public funds for personal use and engages in illegal activities, or misappropriates a large amount of public funds for profit-making activities, or misappropriates a large amount of public funds and fails to pay it back for more than three months, is guilty of embezzlement and shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not more than five years or criminal detention; If the circumstances are serious, he shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not less than five years. Whoever misappropriates a huge amount of public funds and does not return it shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not less than 1 years or life imprisonment. Whoever misappropriates funds and materials for disaster relief, emergency rescue, flood control, special care, poverty alleviation, immigration and relief for personal use shall be given a heavier punishment.